# Reality-Disrupting Art Artist Alexa Meade Turns Her Subjects into 2D Paintings By Mary Van Puymbroeck | Published 2017-05-09 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2d-painting References: [creators.vice](https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/alexa-meade-body-painting-artist-disrupting-portraiture) & [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/alexameadeart/) Alexa Meade is a [body painting artist](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pointillism) who disrupts reality by painting her subjects and their surroundings in a way that makes it look as if they were in a 2D painting. Alexa Meade began by painting fruit in her parents' basement and was recently honored at the 2017 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards for her work. Covering her subjects in acrylic paint and placing her work alongside unaltered reality makes for a visually compelling composition. Her work becomes a [trick of the eye](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ripples-collection). By painting her subjects as a 2D painting, she relinquishes a certain amount of control over her work. Expression, movement and viewpoint become controlled by the subject and their surroundings. What makes her work so compelling is the disruption it causes in reality. Her works blur the lines between reality and a 2D painting. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.7/10 - Popularity: 72% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Live Arts](https://www.trendhunter.com/livearts) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Reality-disrupting Art:** Alexa Meade's body painting technique disrupts reality by turning subjects into 2D paintings. - **Visually Compelling Composition:** Meade's use of acrylic paint and unaltered reality creates visually compelling compositions. - **Blur of Reality and 2D Painting:** Meade's work blurs the lines between reality and a 2D painting, creating a captivating disruption. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Art and Design:** Meade's innovative body painting technique presents disruptive opportunities for the art and design industry. - **Entertainment and Media:** Meade's visually compelling compositions can disrupt the entertainment and media industry by offering unique and surreal experiences. - **Marketing and Advertising:** Meade's technique of blurring reality and 2D painting can inspire disruptive approaches in marketing and advertising, creating attention-grabbing campaigns. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [AI-Generated Real-World Transformations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-generated-world.md) - [Boundless Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/frameless-experience.md) - [Voice-Activated Wall Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fraimic.md) - [Painting-Immersive Photo Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-ground-exhibition.md) - [Statement Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1.md) - [AI-Generated Topic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-art-of-trending-1.md) - [Glass Beaded Intricate Artworks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/painting-exhibition.md) - [Leftover Househouse Paint Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paint-drop.md) - [Boundary-Pushing Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/briony-douglas-1.md)